


Slow Slope

by LittleBrick



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen, Jaya, Multi, OC, Yao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-24
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-18 15:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2354087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBrick/pseuds/LittleBrick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wan, and the realization that the world will not change on its own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I will only post one chapter, and if people like it, i will continue.

 

The night his parents kick him out, he doesn’t understand the finality of the act. He thinks they will let him back in after father figures out some other punishment, but he doesn’t want to- or _can’t_ \- and Wan ends up on slope streets, not going uphill, as he usually does.

 

Word spreads like wildfire- they live above a Fire Lion-Turtle, after all- Wan _kissed!_ another boy, in _public_ no less!- and soon most of his friends are either throwing rocks at him or shouting insults and he can’t decide which is worse.

 

His last stop is an old tree house. The tree has roots so deep and branches so tangled, anything can climb them, but only _he_ does. Inside he meets another outcast, he knows about him, he heard stories: a renowned hunter who got involved with a plant-spirit. Literally. No comments are made about why either are here, both parties are comfortable with silence, exchanging little to no information. Gradually, they became friends- Wan tells a few jokes, the old man shares some hunting tips- and he thinks he can stomach the loneliness, for a while.

 

Three days later, another kid appears. Younger  than Wan and far skinnier, he is familiar with hunger, and more resilient. It’s a racing game for all three: who spots the  lonely fruit on the tree-tops first, who can get to them first, who can protect his bounty better. Until one evening, that is, when Wan is fed up with the feud. He shares all his food, and doesn’t ask for any back. The old man _Yao, why did it take him so long to tell me his name?_ laughs and eats, but the kid is a little suspicious. He is from a lower class, and had been banished because his mother considered the eight child one too many. Wan himself had been from a respectable family- not as rich as the Chou or as old as the Shen, but still a better class, yet sometimes he wonders if his little mistake would have been looked over, or noticed at all, had his father not been so important.

 

He decides it’s the culture that’s at fault. Too much emphasis on honor, and too little practical application of it, and thinks he will change all of it, once he gets back home _, just a few weeks, they’re trying to scare me._ When a month goes by and no one comes for him, he breaks down. Luckily, his two new friends are there, each in his own way. Yao jokes a lot and pats him, and Jaya lets him be. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapters will be longer. I will try to keep to canon.

Since they are located at the tropics, they don’t have to worry about low temperatures. Wan doesn’t even know what snow is - _yet_ \- but the concept of humidity is well understood. This time of year, the most common cause of death is pneumonia (mixed with an unknown spirit-mushroom) and, strangely enough, it is easier to evade outside the city. Luxurious plants absorb water faster. In the city, stone walls and pavement act as a insulator, and all the moisture goes in the air. Outside, winds make conditions bearable and moves the spores away.

Still, he likes to take precautions. A dry scarf around the neck and mouth at all times. Each morning, he checks to see if it’s clean. So far, he hasn’t seen red blotches on it, although some citizens are not so lucky. 

They watch funerals from the safety of the tree house, hidden behind branches. Some of the richer folk might consider it an insult that outcasts are in attendance, even from a distance. The Lion Turtle grants priest the power for the occasion, and they burn the remains beneath the sky until they fit in an urn. Most keep it as a reminder.

Wan finds it funny how they tend to their traditions inside the city, and forget about them outside. Apparently honor only counts as long as the turtle senses your actions. In the wilds, anything goes.

They are not the only outcasts. Many are living in poverty, but since Wan and Jaya are the newest to be humiliated, it will be some time before fat patrons accept them to scrub floors. Some get work from old women with high cheek-bones who need an extra attendant. Lucky ones end up in kitchens. There are rumors that some get invited to late night “meetings” organized by those overflowing with money, and while nobody talks about what they do, everybody seems to want the opportunity.

Yao explains one night, and Wan is so angry and confused he can’t find the words to describe it. Apparently it’s alright as long as you keep it indoors. Make it public and it’s over.

He decides to try it, one day, when supplies run short, and luckily he tells his friends first. Jaya stares in shock, but Yao shares his experiences again- from the time he wasn’t banished- and discourages any sort of implication. Firstly, Wan is still a child, he doesn’t understand what he’s getting into. Secondly, his family holds a position of honor, and if word catches on, other families will see it as an opportunity to exploit and humiliate further.

Wan listens and nods and points to a spot on the floor, where food _should_ have been, and the old man frowns. If he wants to do it, he should take it slow. Don’t go to late night parties. Wait for hunters to return from trips outside, and let one see you…Smiling. Most men want to get away from their wives, and out there, a simple invitation can earn a portion of the bounty. Just don’t approach them when there’s more than one, or else they will try to keep up appearances.

The first time Wan tries it, it’s with a man he knows from the city dump: someone lucky enough to have caught the attention of the hunting captain for having great eye-sight. He knows it’s his safest bet: the archer was humbled enough not to take advantage, and skilled enough to have something to give. It happens fast: Wan is facing a tree, his face glued to it, at after two minutes of discomfort- not the worst pain- the other man finishes, gives him more than he bargained for, and leaves without throwing one punch. Wan is astonished and wishes he was born a woman, for he could surely rule the world.

He brings back what he has but it’s not enough for three, and that’s when the realization hits him. Unless he starts stealing, he will end up alone in the tree house. He knows he can’t take the loneliness.


	3. Chapter 3

 

After the escapade with the hunter, they tell him he seems more relaxed. He tries to think of a good place to steal from, but he doesn’t know the lower rings very well. After all, _you grew up with the snobs_ , as Jaya puts it.

The first time he sets foot onto a proper road, a _paved_ street, he expects people to do something-shout, kick, point, stare, laugh- but the world has moved on. He walks slowly at first, still expecting surprise around the corner. Then he fastens the pace. It’s getting dark, and he’s in the middle ring now, there will be guards.

He breaks into a full run when he sees the emblem of his house and the roof above the gardens. He has enough common sense to use the back door, and some of the servants stare, but it’s all right. His father is gone to some sort of council meeting, but his lady mother is there, along with his younger siblings, and they let him sleep in a back room. A servant wakes him before dawn and tells him his father will be back soon. He understands and goes to see his lady mother goodbye. She gives him breakfast and a full basket- _something for you to take home-_ and it crushes his heart to hear her say _home_ like it’s somewhere else for him.

Unlike her husband, she is tall and slim. Her cheekbones are high and her lips full- four qualities Wan inherited. Her  nose is long and eyebrows thick and puffy, and it makes her even more beautiful. He is her son, completely and without question. He may as well have come out of her womb without her husbands meddling.

She reaches out to touch his face, and her fingers are different. Long and cold and sharp and painful when she hits- she _has_ hit him before- but this time she caresses.

When she opens her mouth, words land on him like cold water. _Just bring a girl home with you, and I will make this go away_. He leaves upset but takes the food.

Jaya and Yao are ecstatic. They ask which house he robbed, but the old man has already half guessed the truth. He tries to offer advice, _don’t go there again_ , but gets no response. Wan stays silent, letting them think he’s angry, but really, he enjoyes seeing them eat well.

Later he finds out when the next council meeting is going to be. It’s easy, as the whole city talks about it: Winter Solstice is coming, and they must decide sacrifices to the Lion Turtle. Last year it was a parade in the upper ring. For the simple people, a candle burning all night at the window will do.

It is simple to climb roof tops, Wan discovers. His time on the outskirts has sharpened his body. Any trace of fat is gone, and supple muscles feel like cables. It is not so simple, however, to walk on them without being noticed or heard. With only a few days left until the meeting, he practices, but only gets slightly better. He knows he should go back home instead, but he just misses the sound of his fathers voice.

A few hours before the meeting, and it’s cloudy and windy. He sneaks carefully enough, and finds a nice place next to a window. A small square shape facing upwards. He can’t see anything, but he can hear just fine.

The conversation at the table is boring. Only a handful talk and joke, but judging from the clicking of silverware, there are at least twenty. Most seem to be there for the food- the smell is driving Wan wild, and it’s becoming difficult to hold still. After a few dozen courses, _at least that many_ , they bring up the solstice. Another parade, another speech, another ton of fruit burnt to ash. His father speaks up a few times, but it’s nothing important. He is just there to add a vote.

The sun has barely set, and Wan is hoping this is the end, all gossip has been depleted, but then more people enter. Then suddenly there is laughter and cheering and Wan hears plates being put aside- the table is being cleared, chairs to the wall.

The proper party begins and Wan is left speechless. He should have known, should have guessed. The hypocrisy is what disgusts him the most, not the noise, moans, screams, throbbing, to that he is impartial.

He wants to scream at them, to pound his fist against their faces, but decides a more subtle route.

When he arrives at his old home in a matter of minutes, he finds his lady mother on the porch. He kneels in front of her and swears what he is about to say is true. She doesn’t flinch as he tells everything: every name that was spoken out loud, every voice he recognized, every act he heard.

Her face is pale, but she smiles gently, and pets him like a dog. What her husband does is his own business, as long as the family name is left clean. She can turn a blind eye, for the benefits outweigh the knowledge that he enjoys the company of other women _and men,_ and Wan almost gets up and shouts at her, but her palm across his face stops him.

Then she is comforting him again- her mood swings are as swift as lightning- and he lets her speak of inheritance laws and how the oldest child is always the best and how he can do as he pleases _after_ he finds a lady of his own.

He spends the rest of the night with his brother and sister, and they   _seem_ to care that he was gone, but there is too much politeness in their tone , too many words borrowed from older people. Wan wonders if his actions have hurt them more that him, but by morning, they go back to being siblings who laugh at his jokes. He throws them around and tickles them, and they try to do the same.

When he finally does leave, he keeps a smile of his face and his bile inside his mouth. He reaches the tree house rather quickly- it’s easier to go downhill than climb- and gives his new family another basket of food. He falls asleep listening to them chat over breakfast.


End file.
